2011 Sports mode gear shift vs cvt (V6)

Interested to hear experiences of using sports mode gear shift vs cvt, especially on highway. On a recent long trip, I found myself using sports mode quite frequently for passing and hills; as I prefer to shift down sooner than the cvt wants to. Then would continue in 6th gear for cruising. (Also used sports mode to decelerate if coming up behind slower vehicles.) But started wondering if performance in 6th gear is weaker than if using cvt.

The owner's manual (p. 3-100) says sports mode may revert temporarily to cvt "in order to lower the temperature of the automatic transaxle fluid"; suggesting that using sports mode is more work for the transmission. Anyone have advice or experiences to offer about this? (Owners' manual otherwise silent on cvt vs sports shift.)

Comments

Judging from 2011 GT and XLS V6 features list, they have automated transmission, not a CVT. You probably meant the automated transmission, right? I only tried stick shift mode (2010 ES) when driving downhill on slippery winter road. Other then that, my arm (from years of manual driving) still "remembers" and tends to move in old fashioned way where position of the second gear is opposite to the first gear and the fourth is opposite to the third. While my car's gear stick is expected to move forward on advancing the gear. I am afraid to screw up the transmission some day by pulling the stick in wrong way. So, ended up not using it a lot. Would also be glad to learn how other folks use this mode.

I use the paddle shifter and not the stick in my XLS for the same reason as you...Manual shifter in my earlier cars...The paddles are really handy in maintaining speed when I drive over mountain passes here in the Rockies and it's also great for deceleration coming downhill on slick roads..Otherwise, on the flat roads, I just stay with the auto tranny..I don't understand the OP's question with the cvt V6. You cant get a V6 that is hooked up to a cvt....